


Dead Is The New Normal

by dontfrankwithme



Category: Bandom
Genre: Frerard, M/M, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2014-07-23
Packaged: 2018-02-08 15:34:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1946565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontfrankwithme/pseuds/dontfrankwithme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frank's life is completely uneventful and just plain ordinary. He goes to school, he hangs out with his friends, and he lives his life. That all changes when he starts snooping around a mansion in the woods and becomes close to Gerard Way who has lots of secrets in which frank finds himself wrapped up in a life he never thought would be his.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This story is something I've had in mind for the longest time and to finally start it feels really refreshing. Hope you like it.

“Okay Frank, we are almost out of time today are you at a good place to stop?”  
I keep my eyes fixed on the ground “Yes. Thank you Miss Terry.”  
Miss Terry led me to the front desk where I paid for my counseling session and wished her well.

Opening up and talking about my feelings with others has never been my strong suit. For the most part Miss Terry and I mostly just sit in silence and when she asks me questions I just shrug my shoulders and avoid eye contact. I feel so naked in that room with her. Every breath I take I can feel her observing me and reading into everything. I never feel more unsafe than when I’m in that cage everyone calls “professional help”. 

I know I should make my way back to school after my appointment but instead I find myself speeding up and passing it. I’ll visit the attendance office on Monday. Right now I just needed to go home and clear my mind after being suffocated by my counselor.

The road I usually take is closed off for construction which frustrates me royally since I don’t know another way to get home.

A construction worker directs me down a narrow dirt road, with thick, dead, growth in damp ditches littered with trash. I’m extremely skeptical, but I turn onto the road waving off the man. I’ve never been this way nor have I ever even noticed it. It’s sketchy for sure and there doesn’t seem to be any sign of life in these woods. Everything just appears to be dead. The trees get thicker and more overgrown as I go further; they have a sandy look to their leaves on the worn-out branches. There isn’t a single flower sprouting from the ground in sight. It’s really quite depressing. Through all of this I notice something that looks like a large house, just off a nearby trail. It looks pretty well maintenanced from where I am. When I edge closer, I realize it’s a mansion. I feel my eyes widen. The house had this faded red paneling, and had white trimming on all of the windows and edges of the mansion. There was a balcony directly above the front door. To the right of the stately home was a graveyard the size of a football field. Who would want to live so close to a cemetery? It’s just a constant reminder of where you’re going to end up. How morbid is that? Though, I’m intrigued and curious all at once. Who lives here? It’s obvious somebody does by the way the yard is so neatly kept. 

My curiosity got the better of me and I pulled over and hopped out of my car. I don’t know what I expect to find but I knew it wouldn’t hurt if I peeked through one of the windows just to see if anyone is home. I creep closer to the house taking slow and careful steps. Not sure why I’m being so cautious but I have a strange feeling that someone is going to be behind me if I turn around. I don’t stop moving until I get to the mailbox. Inside is a letter with no return address, marked for a Gerard Way.

“What exactly do you think you’re doing?” Booms an unfamiliar voice. 

I spin around still clutching the letter. “I-I’m sorry I was just…” I stutter trying to find the right words while my heart thuds out of fright.

“Don’t you know going through mail that isn’t yours is illegal?” The man frowns. 

“I do, I’m sorry I was just curious that’s all. Are you Gerard Way?” I ask as I hold out the letter. I feel my neck, ears, and face got hot.

“No, my name is Brian Schechter. I am Mr. Way’s caretaker. What are you doing in this area?” 

“The main road is closed off so I was just looking for another way home. I didn’t mean to trespass or anything.” I say avoiding eye contact. 

Brian took a deep breath. “It’s going to be dark soon. I suggest you get in your vehicle and drive home. It can be dangerous here in Jersey, especially after the sun sets.” 

“Yes sir. Sorry again. Have a nice evening I guess.” I mutter as I made my way back to my Jeep. 

I don’t think I’ve ever felt that humiliated in a long time. I’m such an idiot to go through another person’s mail. What’s wrong with me? As I come to the end of the trail I find the road that leads me back to my house where I can hide. I’m actually going to make it home a lot sooner than I would’ve if I had taken my usual route. At least something good has come of this.

I made it home just before sunset and my mom already has dinner ready. She’s got spaghetti ready and has the bowls and silverware all neatly placed on the table. I notice there are only two sets of silverware at the table. 

“Where’s dad?” I ask. My mother sighs.

“He’s working late again tonight. I’m not sure when he’ll be finished, but he told us not to wait up.”

“He’s always working late.” I say through gritted teeth. 

“Well honey, he’s a busy man and his work is paying for this roof over your head, so if I were you I would be grateful.” She snapped. 

“Okay. I’m sorry.” I sat down at the table and started poking at the noodles with my fork.” 

She laid her hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry for attacking you I’m just really overwhelmed with all that’s going on at the gallery right now.” 

“I know mom I understand.” 

We ate in silence after that. I don’t know why my mom gets so irritable when I bring up dad’s frequent absence. I didn’t know being a sales consultant was so time consuming. You’d think he would make time to be with his family every once in a while. I have a few theories on why this is but I don’t even want to think about it. I help my mother clean the dishes in the most uncomfortable silence then I go up to my room and start strumming the strings on my guitar. I’m making up some different chords and ballads when I’m interrupted by a Misfits song. My phone lights up and reads Bob Bryar. I rest my guitar against the bed and put the phone to my ear, stopping Teenagers From Mars short.

“What’s up Bob?” I lay back on my bed. 

“Come chill with Ray and I tonight.” Bob demanded. 

“And when you say chill you mean smoke?” I smirked. 

“You know me so well Iero. So are you coming or what?” He chuckles.

“Where do you want to meet?” I hold the phone in the crook of my neck with my chin and shoulder and start pulling my converse on. 

“No don’t you worry about it Frank, Ray and I will pick you up.” He sang. 

“Where are you taking me man?” I switch my phone to my hand and stand up.

“It’s a surprise. Now Ray’s picking me up then we’re coming for you so be ready.” He hangs up. 

 

I put my iPhone in my back pocket. I’m never too sure about Bob he’s always up to something. So trusting him to take me somewhere I have no knowledge of, probably isn’t the best choice I’ve made lately, but it certainly isn’t the worst. I looked at my phone and it’s ten o’ clock on the dot. I know my mom is probably in the shower by now so I sneak downstairs into the kitchen and open up her liquor cabinet that she thinks I don’t know about. Her ignorance really comes in handy. I snag a bottle of vodka and put it in my backpack. It wasn’t long until I heard a car pull into my driveway. I slip out the door unnoticed. 

“What’s up fag?” Bob jokes as I hop in the backseat. 

“I got vodka.” I say smiling as I set my backpack carefully between my legs on the floor and buckle my seatbelt.

“That’s great, I got weed.” Ray turned around and smirked, as he began to speed down the road.

“It’s the good shit too. Not that corn we smoked last week.” Bob added.

“So where are we going?” 

“Right here.” Ray slings into an empty parking lot. 

“This is the surprise?” I scoff. Ray puts the car into park 

“Yeah, there’s no surprise I was just fucking with you.” He turns around to grin at me. I laugh good-naturedly. 

“You’re a piece of shit you know that?” I joke as I pull out the vodka from my bag and take a big swig from the bottle. I scrunch my face at the bitterness of the beverage then passed it on to Ray. 

Bob starts breaking down the dope and prepares to roll a couple joints. We don’t usually smoke but every now and then we just want to get super stoned and forget about the world. I unbuckle my seatbelt to put in Nirvana’s “Bleach” album in the CD player. Ray hands me the bottle and smirks as I sip some vodka. Bob hands me the first joint and I put it in between my lips and light it up taking a hit. It won’t be long before my worries disappear. Bob mirrors me and passes the joint onto Ray. Next thing I know we’re hot boxing the car and everything began to move in slow motion. I started to feel my blood pressure go up. I lay back, close my eyes, and enjoy the ride. 

It takes a while before we finally start to come down a little, so we begin talking. I mention the mansion that I had come across today on my drive back from the counselors and their eyes widen. At least as wide as they could, considering how much we all smoked. 

“Dude I hear stories about that place.” Bob began. 

“What kind of stories?” 

“Fucked up ones.” Ray adds. 

“Tell me about it, I want to know.” I lean in unable to shake the grin on my face.

“Well for starters whoever lives in that house never comes out of that castle he’s a loner and you know who was a loner?” Bob tilts the bottle into the air draining the remnants of the vodka. “Dexter Morgan.” He purses his lips and nods pointing a finger at me. I roll my eyes and kick the back of his seat laughing.

“Shut up, you’re crazy man! There aren’t any serial killers living in that place.” I hold my stomach I’m laughing so hard. 

“You know what we should do?” Ray inquires suddenly. “Let’s break into that motherfucker’s house and you can see the dead bodies for yourself!” He looks at both of us like it’s the best idea in the world. 

Ray starts the car and heads for the direction of the main road. Part of me says this is a bad idea but an even bigger part was saying that this is going to be one hell of an adventure. 

Ray turns off his head lights as he pulls up to the mansion. 

“Okay Frank here we are.” Bob spoke. 

“Why do I have to go by myself?” 

“You think we want to go in there and get murdered?” Ray scoffs. “Just go in there and steal us something so we know you didn’t flake out.” 

“Don’t be a pussy!” Bob shouts. 

How am I even supposed to get inside? This place is huge, what if I get lost? What if I run into the caretaker again? I keep moving anyway. I can still hear Bob and Ray egging me on from the car. I kind of wish they’d shut the fuck up. Someone is bound to hear them. I walk around to the side of the mansion quietly and see that a window is slightly cracked open on the second floor. I start pulling myself up by a drain pipe that’s conveniently placed exactly where I needed to be. I pull myself through the window and stumbled inside. I did it, I actually made it in. I seem to have ended up in some kind of art room judging by all of the canvases and buckets of paint. There’s a sink in the corner with dirty paint brushes in cups of water on the counter. I see many different paintings all laid up against one wall. A lot of them were pretty morbid. If they were landscape paintings then it was a graveyard or the foggy woods. There were also paintings of dead and naked women. I grimaced, and started to shake a little. I see an eight by ten painting of a wolf with piercing red eyes. I decide this is what I’m going to bring back to Bob and Ray. I tucked it in my pants and squeeze out the window. As I’m slipping out I completely freeze at what I see in the doorway of the art room. It was the silhouette of a man. All I see is the shape of a medium built man and a pair of hazel eyes gleaming in the light of the moon. Suddenly I realize it isn’t Brian. It’s like I’m in a trance. I can’t take my eyes off of his. Then I fall. I let out a strangled “fuck” as I hit the ground and whatever crazy spell I was under is broken. I scramble in the damp, cold grass and run as fast as I can back to the car.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I edited and revised this chapter myself because my editor is having wifi problems and it doesn't look like it's going to be fixed anytime soon. I always like to have a second person to look at it for a different perspective and in case I miss something. If you notice any typos then feel free to let me know and i'll fix them.

It has been almost a week since I broke into the mansion. I’ve hardly left my own house trying to avoid that place as much as possible. If I did leave my house it was anywhere I didn’t have to drive on that part of the main road because I knew where I would end up. All of the construction work they have been doing is going to be over sometime today according to my mom. 

I keep the painting of the wolf tucked under my bed. I don’t want my mom finding it and questioning me. Sometimes I pull it out and sit on the edge of my bed to admire it. I like to run my fingers over the artwork so I can feel the brushstrokes. The way the colors are blended together amazes me as well as the eyes of the wolf; they have so much detail in them. It reminds me of the hazel eyes that captivated me back at the mansion. I know it has to be the “Gerard Way” Brian told me about. I’m so scared yet so intrigued by this encounter that I had with him. 

“Frank can you come here?” I hear my mom call from the bottom of the stairs. 

I impulsively shove the painting under my bed and race downstairs. “Is everything okay?” I ask. 

“Listen, I need to go down to the gallery to have a meeting with an artist about displaying his work. I left money on the kitchen counter to order a pizza.” She says as she fiddles with her car keys.

“Can Bob come over?” 

“I suppose.” She sighs. “Just don’t get too crazy. I’ll see you when I get back.” 

I stand by the door until I hear the sound of her engine fade. I then took a seat on the couch in the living room to send a text to Bob. All I have to say is “parents gone” and “pizza”. I didn’t even have time to put my phone back in my pocket before I receive a text that says, “be there soon”. 

Me being a vegetarian and Bob’s love for meat, I decide to order a large cheese and a large pepperoni. 

It’s not long until I hear a banging. “Open up Frank!” Bob yells through the door. 

I unlock and open the front door to find Bob holding two boxes of pizza. 

“I ran into the pizza guy, don’t worry I took care of the payment.” Bob mentions as he walks in and closes the door behind him. 

I take the pizza from Bob and carry it into the kitchen where the money mom left me still lays on the counter. I stuff it in my pocket. I can always buy some weed with it later and make it up to Bob. I turn around and see Bob already indulging himself in his food.

“Slow down you might choke.” I chuckle grabbing a slice of the cheese. 

“Yeah you’d know all about that wouldn’t you Frank?” He smirks with a string of cheese hanging from his chin. 

“Fuck you!” I laugh and fold my pizza before I take an enormous bite.

I came out to Bob and Ray a year ago and they completely accepted me. They were the only people I told and are the only people I plan on telling for awhile. Bob makes jokes about it a lot but I know he doesn’t mean anything homophobic or offense by it. If he didn’t accept me he would be long gone by now. I think the both of them encourage it for the most part. 

We finish off as much pizza as we can until our stomachs feel like they’re about to implode. 

“You still have that painting from the mansion?” Bob asks. 

“Yea I do, why?” I respond as I put the leftover pizza in the fridge.

“I have an art assignment due tomorrow.” Bob stares me down.

“No fucking way Bob.” I shake my head. 

“Why not? What the hell are you using it for?” 

“Well nothing, but I went through the trouble of stealing it I think I should get to keep it.” I respond sternly.

“Okay, fine.” Bob brushes off the conversation.

We go silent. “You know something?” I say to break the awkward pause.

“Huh?” Bob looks up. 

“When I was leaving with the canvas, I saw something.” I lower my voice as if someone is listening in.

“What did you see?” Bob leans in. 

“There was a man in the doorway.” I say. 

“No fucking way!” Bobs eyes grew wide. “Do you think it was the house owner?” 

“I’m actually positive it was.” I nod.

“Sounds like you’re in deep shit.” Bob laughs. “If you go missing I’ll know where to look.” 

I roll my eyes. I don’t have anything to worry about. That guy is completely harmless. It sure was unbelievably creepy that he just watched me steal it from him and did nothing to stop me in the moment but maybe he just doesn’t favor confrontation. 

I close the door behind Bob after we finish up his visit. Apparently he’s been staying out too late so his mom gave him a curfew. I’m sure he’ll just end up sneaking out tonight, nobody can tame Bob. 

I make my way upstairs to get ready for bed. I look at the clock on my phone… almost 9:00. I usually don’t go to bed this early but I’m just having these waves of exhaustion flowing through me and all I need is to lie down. I shake off my jeans and pull my shirt over my head leaving me in my blue boxers. I’m finding myself struggling to keep my eyes open long enough to get under the sheets. The second my head hits the pillow I fall asleep. 

All I see is a pair of hazel eyes belonging to the silhouette of a man; the same man that was in the doorway that night. He takes my wrist and guides me to a black door. I turn the knob and inside is a pitch black room, I see nothing until the man I’m assuming is Gerard Way flicks the light switch on. I slowly look down and see corpses at my feet, so many mangled bodies are thrown around I can barely see the floor. I begin to feel ill. My heart rate goes up and my stomach feels like its flying. Suddenly my eyes shoot open. I realize I’m sweaty and panting like dog. I feel sick again. I peel the sheets off of my sticky body and sprint to the bathroom in the hallway next to my room where I immediately start vomiting in the toilet.

“Frank! Oh, Honey!” I hear my mom shriek. 

I wipe the remnants of vomit from my chin with my hand. “I’m fine.” I manage to choke out. 

“Yeah you’re just fine. It’s not like my son is puking his guts out all over my linoleum floor!” My mom shouts sarcastically. 

As I attempt to get off my knees and stand up I flush the toilet. My mom rushes to my side and rubs my back as I wash my hands. She then takes me downstairs and sits me at the kitchen table. 

“What’s going on?” My dad walks in straightening his tie. 

“Frank just got sick.” My mom informs him. 

“Have him stay home from school today and see how he’s feeling tomorrow.” Then he was out the door in the blink of an eye. 

“Maybe I should take you to the doctor.” My mom ponders out loud. 

“No, I’m not going to let you blow a bunch of money just so they can tell me I need rest.” I insist. 

“Well, alright.” She throws her purse over her shoulder. “I have to go to the gallery and make a call to Mr. Way, I’ll see you later.”

My heart leapt in my chest. “Wait, who?” I ask. 

“Gerard Way.” She states. “He’s a wonderful artist. He enters in the summer auction every year.” 

“Oh.” Is all I can manage to choke out.

“The only problem is that he’s one painting short. That’s so unlike him.” She sighs.

“Hope it all works out. Have a nice day.” I practically push my mom out the door. 

Mr. Way is one painting short because of me. He does this every year so surely he knows his deadline? He might not get a spot in my mother’s gallery because of me. I have to fix this. 

I jet up the stairs and fling the door open. I throw on a Black Flag T-Shirt and a pair of my washed up jeans with holes in the knees, then slip on some black converse and pull out the painting from under my bed. I have to return this to Mr. Way. He could tell my mom I stole it if he recognizes me. I got in my car and begin to drive on the main road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Gerard and Frank are definitely going to be introduced in the next chapter. I'm so excited to write it I hope you're liking it so far. I don't really think I'm a great writer but I've been wanting to write this for a long time. Also this chapter was pretty short but I wanted to update it ASAP. 
> 
> P.S. You're feedback is always appreciated. 
> 
> Alexx

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to a truly amazing editor and best friend, @LandOfTheLazy


End file.
